Chipotle: Laughter is the best medicine

This week Chipotle decided to switch it up with its “As Real as it Gets” campaign. Since their food-borne illness outbreaks in 2015 Chipotle has been working hard to repair its image. This latest campaign turns to humor in order to win back the customers lost over the past months.

The ads feature comedians “getting real” insides an oversized replica of a burrito. Sam Richardson, Jillian Bell, and John Mulaney all take a turn in the super-sized burrito sharing their fears, desires, and secrets.

Financially, 2016 was the worst year for Chipotle. Same-store sales fell 20.4% and revenues decreased by 13.3%. As part of its comeback focused on the quality of their ingredients. It’s new motto “As Real as it Gets” is a reference to its recent efforts to remove artificial flavoring and preservatives from its food.

“In a world full of fakery and half-truths, it’s invigorating to hear a brand tell it like it is,” said Mark Crumpacker, chief marketing and development officer for Chipotle, in a statement. “This campaign challenges the conventions of fast-food advertising by being completely real—not only about our food, but about the world we live in—and it does so with an optimism and playful humor that’s very much in line with our brand.”

Along with digital and tv ads, the campaign also includes outdoor advertising like these billboards below.

So, is laughter the best medicine? We’ll just have to wait and see whether or not these new efforts by Chipotle actually pay off.

3 thoughts on “Chipotle: Laughter is the best medicine”

Great article! I feel like a lot of people got very turned off by all the issues they had with all their “natural” ingredients. A lot of companies, especially in fast food, have taken the humor route to promote their company. And I think it’s good that Chipotle is making light of their past issues and looking to position themselves as transparent. I’m all about a burrito bowl so they still have my business.

Great post! I love when people use humor in their advertising. It makes it so much more appealing to me. For example, Wendy’s Twitter is constantly making me laugh with their responses to others tweets